


Get Out Alive

by Tears2Roses



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, BAMF!Michonne, Child Abuse, Childhood Memories, Crazy!Rick, Cussing, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Glenn/Maggie, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, LOTS of violence, Michonne/Andrea - Freeform, Nightmares, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Protective!Daryl, Rape Pregnancy, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Swearing, bamf!daryl, daryl dixon/oc - Freeform, lots of swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-13
Updated: 2014-09-13
Packaged: 2018-02-17 06:45:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2300252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tears2Roses/pseuds/Tears2Roses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harm is just trying to survive. All she wants is to protect her son, survive in this horrible world. Horrible is nothing new to her. She's been through the ringer. Survival is her top priority. Then she meets him. Daryl Dixon, a sarcastic, cussing, loud-mouth redneck. Her priority switches and she finds herself trusting him. Will this to her destruction? Or something else?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

My name? My name’s Harmony. Everyone calls me Harm. My son’s name is Alex. But that’s not important right now. What is important is that the world ended a few months ago. The dead started walking and there aren’t many survivors. For a while, I thought we were the only ones. But then we saw them rush into the CDC... I’m getting ahead of myself again. I should start at the beginning. 

Like I said before, the world as we knew it ended 6 months ago. At least, I think it was 6 months. Days sometimes pass without notice. Time fades away. Anyways, a deadly virus hit the world. It killed everyone, and I mean everyone. But after they were dead, their reanimated corpses started walking around, and taking chunks out of people. Yeah, you heard right. Zombies. The walking dead. One bite, and you’re infected. Once you’re infected, you get sick, fever hits, and you die. Then you become one of them. The only thing that kills them is a headshot or something else that destroys the brain. 

Like I said, I thought we were alone for a while. It was just my son, Alex and I. He’s four years old. I never let him out of my sight. He’s my whole world. We were staying in my cabin in the woods, we had it pretty good there. Plenty of food, shelter, far away from civilization. We had weapons, ammo. We were safe. Until a herd of those things came walking through the woods, looking for food. I guess they’d eaten all the fresh meat in the city. This was a big group of them. At least fifty of those things just came ambling through the woods. There were enough to take down my little cabin in the woods. So I packed what little food and weapons I could carry, grabbed my son, and ran. As fast as I could. Once I was a good distance away, we climbed a tree and just watched, helpless, as they literally plowed down our only shelter. Once they were gone, we went back to scavenge what may have remained, but there wasn’t much. So we headed to the city. Atlanta. 

I made camp in the woods in an abandoned old house. We were just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. We were in a dilapidated, one room little house. But it was good enough. Good enough to survive. And that’s what was important. Surviving. Alex and I stayed there until we got low on food. Then we knew we had to go into the city. It was the only choice we had. So we walked right into the city, being quiet, of course. Not making a fuss, because that would only draw more of the flesh-eaters. We went into an office building. There were only a few flesh-eaters there. I killed them immediately. I took my machete and destroyed the brain. I couldn’t afford to use precious bullets, and besides that, they’re loud. You have to be smart to survive. I would have used my compact bow, but I try to use that only for hunting. I can save the arrows after the animal is dead, but with those things, I might risk contaminating the kill if I used the same arrow. So when I did use it to kill a flesh-eater, I kept my killing arrows and my hunting arrows separate. 

I was going through the cabinets when I heard a moan. I motioned for Alex to climb into a cabinet and hide. He did immediately, staying quiet. I padded softly into the neighboring room. I peeked my head around the corner to see a young girl, bleeding next to the wall. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old. She was groaning and holding her thigh. Blood was dried on the floor, and more was pouring out of her wound. She wasn’t one of them. Not yet.

I crept into the room and came to stand a few feet away from them. Her eyes were closed, clenched in pain. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She looked up, her grey eyes wide and scared. 

“Are you bit?” I asked gruffly, getting straight to the point. 

She whimpered and shook her head. “No. They shot me. I’m gonna die...”

I knelt in front of her to get a closer look at her wound. Carefully, I removed her hands, ignoring her groans of pain. She told the truth. She’d been shot in the thigh. She was lucky; as I felt my hand around to the back of her leg, I found that the bullet had gone straight through her. But it was probably getting infected. 

“How long ago did it happen?” I asked her.

“Uhh..I don’t know. Could have been hours, could have been days. I don’t remember. I passed out,” she answered, the pain apparent in her voice. 

“Alex!” I called. My red-headed son came running obediently. He stood in a few feet away, his eyes wide and trained on the girl. “Go get my bag.” 

He ran out of the room and came back holding my bag. I opened it and fished out the first-aid kit I had. It would take up most of my resources to help this girl. But I couldn’t just leave her here to die. I pulled out my knife and cut the fabric away from the wound. I got a bottle of water and poured it on her leg to clean it a little. Then I poured alcohol on it. She whimpered in pain. 

“I’m sorry, but I have to do this. Otherwise it’ll get infected, okay? Hey, what’s your name anyway?” I talked to her in a soothing voice.

“S-Sky. My name’s Sky,” she said through gritted teeth. 

“Sky? That’s a pretty name. Well, I’m Harmony, and that cute little boy over there’s my son, Alex.”

I slowly washed the dried blood off of her. Then I slathered antibacterial salve on both the entrance and exit wounds. I took some gauze out and wrapped her leg. Then I got some plastic wrap and wrapped and taped it over the gauze. We couldn’t have any bad stuff getting to it. She looked a little better by the time I was through. 

“Okay, you just get some rest, alright? Alex and I are going to finish looking for more supplies, but don’t worry. We won’t be too far away. Here are some pills for the pain. They should also knock you out for a little while. It’ll let you heal. Oh, and call me Harm,” I told her, giving her the pills and some water. 

“Okay....Harm,” she muttered. And then her eyes closed and I knew she’d be out for a while. I took Alex’s hand in mine and led him back into the other room. 

He stayed by my side, not more than a foot away from me while I rummaged through cabinets and closets and drawers. I found enough food to last us for a few more days and more pain pills, but that was about it. I’d look for more tomorrow. Maybe move farther into the building. For now, Alex needed to sleep. I laid my coat down on the floor and wrapped him up in it, letting him lay close to Sky. I marched to a window and took out my compound bow, strapping my quiver of arrows onto my back once again. I kept moving from window to window, close enough to see out of it, but not too close that someone would see me. There were a few flesh-eaters outside, but not so many that would I need to take them out. It would waste arrows. 

After just a few short hours, my eyes started getting heavy and burning, but I forced myself to stay awake. I couldn’t sleep. Not now. The dead didn’t sleep, how could I? I couldn’t keep my son and our new companion safe if I was sleeping my head off. The flesh-eaters could sneak up on us then we’d all be goners. No. I’d sleep later. 

Soon, the sun rose, but Sky stayed asleep. She needed to rest and heal. But she might end up needing more help than I could give her. As Alex started to stir, I went about making breakfast. I put together a can of cold green beans and a few pieces of stale bread. Not much, but these days you couldn’t be picky. I let Alex eat first, after I said Grace of course. God was all that was left, these days. Something to put our hope in. 

After breakfast, I took Alex to a bathroom and while he relieved himself I washed up. Yes, hygiene was important. Even after the zombie apocalypse. I stared at my haggard countenance in the mirror. My long auburn hair was tangled and put in a messy ponytail. My brown eyes were red with exhaustion, but alert. I pulled up my shirt and could see my ribs just poking out under my skin and my hip bones were a little more prominent. I’d lost too much weight. Wasn’t as healthy as I used to be. But I was strong. Strong enough to keep going. My face was covered with dirt and sweat, so much so that you couldn’t tell freckles apart from dirt.

I poured a bit of water on a cloth and wiped my face. There. That was a little better. Then I cleaned Alex up a little bit. He looked just like me, except he had beautiful bright blue eyes. And although he was four years old and didn’t talk much, he was smart. Really smart. And obedient. He stayed by my side and did exactly as I told him. More than once, it had saved his life. He was a good little soldier. I was so proud of him. I no longer felt pain looking into his eyes. Those eyes that were the same as...his. 

Walking back out to the other room, I found Sky awake. I went to her side and checked her wound immediately. It had stopped bleeding. That was good. There was no sign of infection. Yet. It might have been too soon to tell. I gave her water and food and she looked even better. Stronger. That was definitely good. We needed to get moving soon. It was dangerous to stay in the city too long. Too many of them.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” asked Sky.

I looked up at her, into her pale grey eyes. I chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose I do.”

“Why?” she asked.

“The way I grew up...I’m more of a listener. Basically, I’ve found that it’s easier to say what needs to be said instead of chattering on uselessly. No offense, if you do.”

“Oh, none taken. I don’t talk a whole lot. But I do prefer to know what’s going on. Seems like your son knows more than I do,” she told me.

As if on instinct, Alex and I shared a glance. He did understand me a more than everyone else. We didn’t talk much, either. We just had that sort of connection you have with some people. I’d give the world for my son. 

“Sorry. He doesn’t really know more than you, he just...understands me,” I said. 

“Okay. So tell me what’s going on. What’s the plan? Are you just gonna leave me here...or what?” she asked. She was trying to show bravado, but I saw that inside, she was scared.

“No. I’m not gonna leave you. You look to be doing better, but we need to get out of here soon. Not safe. We’ll need to be leaving as soon as you can travel,” I replied. 

“When will that be?” she asked. 

“You tell me.”

“I can go as soon as we’re ready,” she said. She had steel in her voice and her face was set with determination. I leaned back to get a good look at her. She had long black hair and pale grey eyes. She had a small, strong frame. Her lip was pierced and there was a tattoo peeking out from the top of her shirt. It gave her a tough look. And although her eyes reflected kindness, deep down, I could tell they’d seen great pain. We all had these days. 

“What happened to you anyway? How’d you get shot?” I asked her. I knew it was rude, but I had a right to know if she was going to be traveling with me.

“Oh. Well. My family’s all dead. They died pretty quickly. But my best friend, me and her...we had each others’ backs. We were with this group. Just for protection, of course. And we knew enough not to trust them. Not really. They were a means of survival for us. Ya know? She was pretty kickass and she knew how to handle weapons pretty well. She taught me that. I was the smart one. I could figure out how to improvise anything. Together, we were unstoppable,” she said, smiling a bit. But it was a sad smile. 

“What happened?” I urged her.

“Like I said. We had each others’ backs. That was how it was. We protected each other. But then...our group got surrounded...I got knocked to the ground in the chaos. A geek was right on top of me, I was fighting it from biting or scratching me. She saw and she killed it. But when she did, she left herself unprotected, and one got her on the shoulder. She killed it, but it was too late. In the end, she protected the whole group. But I knew she didn’t do it for them. She did it because she wanted to die on her own terms. She took a grenade and went straight into the middle of a huge group of geeks. Blew them all to hell, or wherever it is they come from,” she said the last part bitterly. 

“Go on. You still haven’t got to the part where you got shot,” I said. 

“Yeah. That. We were pretty much loners in the group. Outcasts of a sort. And now that she wasn’t there, they thought I was dead weight. They really just wanted to have one less mouth to feed. So they shot me and left me for dead. That’s about it.”

Her eyes had a steely look to them again. They also held anger, and pain. But she was hiding it well. It just so happens that I’m incredibly good at reading people. Most people. That night....so long ago....I didn’t read him right. I didn’t read his intentions right. And it had cost me. 

“I’m sorry. Truly,” I told her. And I was. I didn’t know how I would function if I lost Alex. He’s the most important person in my life. 

“Yeah. Me too,” she said quietly, eyes on her bandaged leg. She looked back up at me. “So what did you do...before all this?”

“You wanna know my story?” 

She nodded her head. “It’s a very long story that I’ll tell you when we’re out of here. Okay? For now I’m going to finish scavenging. I’ll only be a few rooms over if you need me. Can Alex keep you company?”

She smiled. “Absolutely.”

“Alright, I’ll be back here in under an hour.” And with that I left. Alex knew what he was meant to do without my having to even say it. He was to stay and keep out of trouble. Be a good boy. And he always was. 

It didn’t take long to search the next few rooms thoroughly. It became monotonous, but oddly soothing. Opening cabinets, closet, drawers. Searching, scavenging and figuring out what could be used and what was worth taking with us. Pretty easy unless you didn’t know what you were doing. 

The minutes passed quickly and silently, the only sound were doors being opened and closed softly and the shuffling of objects in my bag. I entered a room and saw one of them, slumped against a wall. It looked like it used to be a young woman. Half of its face was gone, torn off. It was still alive, if you could call it that. It looked up at me and groaned. It shambled toward me, arms reaching out. I pulled the machete from my side and swung forward, slicing into it’s head. It fell to the ground in a decomposing heap. 

Immediately I went back to searching for food and supplies. After another half hour, I made my way back to where my son and Sky awaited. I walked through the room to find Sky up and about. Limping, but walking. That was good. Really good. The best. She had taken a rifle and was using it as a cane, hand on the barrel and the butt of the gun pressed to the ground. I didn’t recognize it, so it wasn’t mine. I almost ran up to them. Alex was smiling and cheering softly. Sky looked accomplished with herself. 

“You’re walking! That’s great!” I exclaimed. 

She beamed at me. “Yep. Now we can get out of here sooner.”

I motioned to her make-shift crutch. “Where’d the gun come from?”

“I found it. I was trying to walk and I fell down and saw it under a table. It isn’t even loaded. There wasn’t any ammo. But I guess this is as good a use for it as any.”

I snickered. “Why would people in an office building need a rifle?”

Sky shrugged. “Maybe after the virus hit people got scared. Either way, they used up all the ammo a long time ago.”

“So how does it feel?” I asked, nodding to her leg. 

She leaned on it gingerly. “Still hurts like a bitch but it’s better. At least I can walk.”

I smiled. “Yeah. At least you can walk. Most people would still be passed out. You’ve got a pretty good pain tolerance.”

She shrugged. “I guess. I did gymnastics and dance when I was little so I guess pain is something you get used to.” 

“I hear that.”

Alex came to my side, knowing I was about to make a decision. It seemed I was now the leader of our small group. I had another person to protect. It would make my life more difficult and dangerous but it was the right thing to do. It was what God was leading my heart to do. 

“Alright. If you’re up to it, we’ll leave tomorrow. I think it’s safe enough to rest here for today. But there isn’t much more to find here,” I said, switching my eyes from Sky to Alex. They both nodded obediently. 

\-----------------

For the next few hours Sky kept practicing walking and exercising her leg. She could just about walk without the gun crutch. Alex stayed beside her, watching and not talking, but there if she needed help. It was hard to believe he was only four years old sometimes. I sat on the floor cross-legged, cleaning my weapons. Weapons needed to be cleaned and checked frequently so they didn’t jam or break and cause your or someone else’s death. 

I had just re-stringed my compact bow when I heard cars approaching. I motioned for Sky and Alex to duck away from the windows and then rushed to the door, bow raised. An RV a Jeep Wrangler, a blue pickup truck, and a Jeep Cherokee pulled up in front of the building across the street. It was the CDC. 

The vehicles were very loud and geeks started gravitating towards them. Several people rushed out of the cars and to the doors, trying them and finding them locked shut. I scoffed. Of course they’d be locked. Even Alex knew that. I knocked an arrow and held my bow at my side, undrawn but at the ready. 

The group of people started panicking. One man with a crossbow started taking out walkers. A black guy started helping him, bashing their heads in with a baseball bat. More and more undead starting ambling towards the group. It was getting dangerous for not just them, but us as well. Too many of them and we would get noticed in our little hiding place. The window I was standing at was already half way broken, so I simply held my arm up to the window, drew my arrow and let it fly. It landed precisely in the back of the head of a geek that was about to make lunch of the guy with the crossbow. He looked down at the flesh-eater, an arrow protruding from the back of its head. I saw the confusion on his face. It made him hesitate. I quickly nocked another arrow and shot it at a geek that was trying to grab his arm. He noticed where my arrow came from. His eyes shot up in my direction. I ducked away from the window. 

I peeked back around and the man was back at shooting more of them. The entire group was trying to pull one man away from the doors and back to the vehicles. This man seemed to be the leader and wore a sheriff’s getup. He was banging on the doors and yelling at them. 

They were about to be overrun when suddenly, the doors opened. I continued to shoot walkers that got too close to them or the building we were in. The group of people rushed inside, first two women and a young boy and girl, then the rest followed. The last on in was the man with the crossbow. His eyes went to my direction again and I couldn’t duck away fast enough before I saw his eyes lock onto me. I was in the shadow of the building so he probably only saw my silhouette, maybe my bow sticking out of the window slightly. 

Then he entered and the doors closed behind him quickly and shut with an loud clang. I joined my son and Sky where they were ducking underneath a table. I put my finger to my lips to indicate they should be very, very, quiet. There was still a horde of zombies outside and even the slightest noise could draw their attention to where we were. I’d wasted at least twenty arrows helping those strangers. Stupid. I pulled my quiver off of my back and counted only nineteen left. 

What a stupid waste of arrows. But then again, maybe not. I’d done the right thing. I just hoped it didn’t cost us too dearly in the long run. We sat there in complete silence for at least three hours. I could tell the silence was bothering Sky. I slowly got up, stretching my limbs a bit, but I motioned for Alex and Sky to stay put. I tiptoed to the window and peeked outside. The sun was setting now and the geeks were dissipating. They were all wandering off in other directions in search of another poor soul to eat. There were only about twelve of them standing in the street, ambling around here and there. 

I walked back to Alex and Sky, motioning that they could stand up and stretch. My son stretched his arms and legs and then came to my side, hugging my leg and yawning. I stifled a yawn myself. Sky on the other hand, looked completely alert. 

I picked up Alex, he was pretty big for a four year old, but not as heavy as he used to be. This whole apocalypse thing made food scarce, even though I tried to give him as much food as I could, it still wasn’t enough. I was starving. Alex buried his face in my neck and said quietly, “Hungry, Mama.”

Sky almost gasped. It was probably the first time she’d heard him speak. He was like me, talking only when necessary. Even less. I stroked his messy blonde hair. 

“I know.”

I sat down with him in my lap and dug through one of the bags, a knapsack that held what little food I could ration. I pulled out dried squirrel meat I’d caught a few days prior and a bottle of stale water. We all passed around the food, not eating as much as we wanted, but eating enough. Enough to survive. Just for a little longer. 

After we ate our unsatisfactory meal, Alex cuddled against me, his head against my chest. I held him tightly, stroking his soft mess of curly hair. He soon fell into the bliss of sleep. I sighed wearily. Sleep, as well as food and safety, was a rare commodity in this world. 

“How long has it been?” asked Sky suddenly.

“What?” I asked, brow furrowing. 

“How long has it been since you last slept? I can tell it’s been a while,” she said.

“A few days. Maybe longer,” I replied, yawning.

“Go to sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

“No, you’re wounded. You need to rest,” I said, half fighting it.

“I was passed out for a long time. An entire day, maybe longer. I’ve rested enough. You’re the one who needs to rest. You’re our protector. If you don’t get rest, we all die. Me, you. Alex. So sleep. I’ll keep watch and wake you at first light.”

“Thank you, Sky,” I said softly. Then the sweet embrace of sleep surrounded me.


	2. Chapter 2

Sky shook me awake just as the sun was rising. Alex awoke groggily in my arms. I let them have a few moments rest as I packed up our gear. I packed up my weapons, leaving my machete at my side and my bow strung with a quiver of my remaining arrows on my back. I took out a hand gun. A Baretta, police issue. I handed it to Sky. 

“Be careful with this. Make every shot counts. Ammo is limited.”

She nodded. “Got it.”

After everything was packed, I took out something rare. It was a black metal can filled with precious liquid. I popped the lid and it fizzed quietly. I took a sip before handing it to Sky. 

“We don’t have much food left, so this will have to be enough for me and you today. We have a long way to go before sundown,” I told her. 

She nodded, eyes wide and sipped the Monster Energy drink. A look of ecstasy came over her face. I laughed, while taking out a small bag of chips for Alex. He devoured them immediately. After that short break the sun was making it’s way over the horizon quicker. I picked up Alex, letting him ride piggyback next to my quiver of arrows. I slung the bag of weapons across my chest and it hung at my side. Sky decided to carry the knapsack with the food and clothes and other domestic paraphernalia since it was regrettably lighter. 

I peeked out of the window to find the street suspiciously empty of undead. I led the way down a a small flight of steps, Alex holding tightly to my back and Sky limping quickly at the rear. We made it to the bottom of the stairs quickly and I pried open the exit door. No geeks in sight. Yet. We crept down the street, away from the CDC, and towards the outskirts of the city. 

We crept along quietly, avoiding as many undead as we could. I had to take out a few along the way, burying my machete into their brain, blood splattering and Alex hiding his face in my neck. 

It went like that, making our way quickly and quietly. Stealth kept us alive. Finally we were walking along a back road, exiting the city. There was an SUV abandoned along the side of the road. It looked like it had crashed, but was still in driving condition. I left Alex and Sky a few feet away and crept up. There was a geek trapped in the front seat. From the looks of it, its neck had snapped from the sudden stop and then it turned. A large bite donned its arm. I quickly killed it and drug the body out of it.

The keys were still in the ignition, I turned them and it cranked easily. I called Sky and Alex to climb in. We had a rare find. Transportation. That would save us precious energy. Alex sat in the front seat of the SUV, between Sky and I. We loaded our few bags into the back seat. And then we were on our way. I didn’t really have a specific destination, so I just drove along the highway. We were a few miles away from Atlanta when the sound of a loud explosion caused me to swerve a bit. I pulled over and climbed on the top of the vehicle, shading my eyes from the morning sun with my hand. Flames were coming from the center of the city. Where the CDC used to stand. 

I felt a pang of sadness that all of those people died, looking for shelter. But it was something that happened far too often and I was accustomed to it. So I shook it off and climbed back in the SUV and continued driving, looking for a temporary safehouse. 

 

\----------

 

We finally ran out of fuel almost exactly as we approached a pile up of cars in the middle of the road. I climbed on the top of a car and the massive pile up of cars, all stalled or wrecked into one another, went on for a long ways. 

“It goes pretty far,” I informed Sky and Alex. 

“What do we do?” 

I observed out surroundings for a bit. There were woods surrounding the road. That was good. Real good. “We’ll search a few cars for supplies and then go in the woods and make camp.”   
“What are kind of supplies?” asked Sky.

I replied, “Anything we can use. Anything at all. If you find something you really want you can keep it, just don’t drag along too much useless stuff.”

“Okay,” she said. 

“And if it isn’t too much trouble can you keep an eye out for shoes? Mine have holes in them something fierce.” 

She chuckled and glanced down at my beat up converse, which were indeed riddled with holes. “I’ll keep my eye open.”

With that she was going opening doors and trunks of the first few vehicles on the left. Alex and I started on the ones on the right. It was slow going. Geeks were trapped in most of them. I found more food to last us a few more days and a pair of shoes. For a little girl. I met back up with Sky at the beginning of the pile-up. She’d found a blanket and a few protein bars, along with some binoculars and a tent. Good enough. I turned and led them through the undergrowth to the woods.

Alex held onto my hand tightly, while my free hand wielded the machete. We made it to a small clearing and I decided to make camp there for the night. We weren’t far from the highway. Close enough to see trouble if it was coming, but far enough away to run or hide. I set up the tent Sky found quickly. I chanced a fire. Just a tiny fire, barely glowing embers. Alex became immediately fascinated by it. I pulled out our food and cooked a bit of food over the source of warmth. It was the closest we could get to a hot meal. 

We all practically inhaled the small portion of food, even my little Alex. After that Alex was pretty tuckered out, even though it was still early. As brilliant and comprehending as he was, he was still just four years old. He crawled in the tent and passed out. 

Sky stayed sitting beside me by the fire. I said I’d keep watch tonight. She needed to rest and heal. 

“So. You said you’d tell me your story?” she started nonchalantly, a lilt of curiosity in her voice.

“Yeah. I did, didn’t I? Well. Where do you want to know?”

“Um...how old are you?”she asked.

“I think I’m around 27 years old. I’m not really sure.”

“What? You don’t know when your birthday is?” she asked, surprised.

“Nope.”

“What? Your family never told you?” she asked.

“Alex is the only family I’ve ever had. The only family I’ll ever need,” I replied.

“What happened?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know. I never knew them.”

“Why not?” she urged.

“I was abandoned. And put into foster care.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” she said.

“Yeah. Me too.”

“Well what did you d before all this? Before all hell broke loose what did you and little Alex do?” she asked, trying to lighten the subject. 

“Would you like to know the full extent of my glamorous career?” I asked, almost teasingly.

“Sure,” she said. “Why not?”

“Well. Foster care sucked. It was horrible. So I ran away when I was seventeen to join the military. I was a sniper. It was the only place they’d put a woman. Out of the line of fire. I was back up most of the time. Far away, shooting only when I was absolutely needed. But I was pretty good at it. It kept me busy for a while. For six years. Then I got pregnant with Alex and had to leave. So I came back down here to Georgia. My home. For the most part.”

“What happened after that?” asked Sky.

“I had Alex and we’ve lived on the outskirts of Atlanta. I worked as a bartender in a pub a few miles from my house. I’ve always been really protective of Alex, so he was right there with me all the time,” I said, watching her reaction.

“You kept him with you? In a bar?!” she exclaimed softly, eyes wide.

“Yeah. It was a pretty classy joint. He was behind the bar with me, so he couldn’t get hurt. And he’s too smart to disobey me and get into trouble. He became sort of a mascot to the regulars. They loved him. They all knew not to mess with him, ‘cause they’d have to deal with me. One thing about working in a bar, beating the shit out of drunks gets real easy,” I said, laughing.

“That’s one parenting story I’ve never heard. But it seemed to work fine. He seems really smart and you’re both still alive so I guess you were doing it right,” she said. 

“I hope so. All you can really do is what you think is best. That’s what I’m doing now. Just trying to stay alive,” I said.

Sky grinned and started shaking her shoulders in rhythm. She started singing in an off key high pitched voice, “Ah, ha, ha, ha staying alive!” 

I burst into laughter. It had been a long time since I’d heard my own laugh. It felt nice. She and I started singing the song together. 

“Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,  
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.  
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',  
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.  
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.  
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive!”

We burst into giggles. It was a nice sound. She sobered slightly and said, “You’re actually a good singer.”

I winked and said, “What, do you think they named me Harmony for nothing? Besides, that was the only way I could get Alex to sleep for the longest time.”

Suddenly the sound of approaching vehicles startled us. I jumped up and kicked dirt over the glowing embers and Sky grabbed our stuff. I crawled in the tent and grabbed a fussy Alex. He wanted to go back to sleep until he saw how serious I was and then he quieted immediately. I handed him off to Sky while I pulled the tent down and stuffed in a bag. I then helped Sky climb into a tree. It went painfully slow because of her wound, but she eventually made it out of sight. I tossed up a bag to her and she stashed it in the tree with her. 

Alex climbed on my back and held tight, his fingers digging into my skin and gripping my clothes, as I climbed a tree opposite the one Sky was in. Once up in the tree, Alex clambered off of me and held on to a branch instead. I inched a little higher into the tree to be able to see the highway. I pulled out the binoculars Sky found and gazed over the crowded highway. It was the group of people from before, at the CDC. I’d thought they were dead. Apparently not, as I saw the man with the crossbow step off of a motorcycle. He appeared to have scouted ahead to see if the pile up opened up. The group of people got out and looked like they were arguing over what to do. The man in a sheriff’s outfit ordered something I couldn’t hear and everyone scattered. 

I didn’t know if these people were trustworthy. I was pretty sure I could trust Sky, but you never know with some people. I got a good vibe off of her. This group...even though there were women and children you couldn’t be sure. So I made a mental decision to leave, get far ahead of them once they stopped for the night. A group this big wasn’t likely to venture into the woods. 

I dropped my bag on the ground and climbed down. Alex climbed down a little and then leaped into my arms. I caught him, almost losing my balance. Then I helped Sky down and we were on our way, walking at a fast pace, almost too fast for Sky, who was barely hobbling along, while Alex was riding on my back. 

We walked and walked, never slowing pace, which was probably bad for Sky, but I needed to get to safety. Finally we found an abandoned shed. The sun was dropping lower in the sky and we made camp for the second time that day. Alex and Sky gratefully fell asleep inside the small shed. I climbed on top of it to keep look out. I busied myself by humming ever so softly and scanning the area for animals. Maybe I could hunt the next day. I was pretty good at it. 

There were birds here and there. A few squirrels. Which meant there were even larger quarry. Hopefully. 

I ended up softly singing the same tune over and over. Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi. I briefly wondered if he was one of the living dead now. It was probable. 

“When I walk these streets  
A loaded six string on my back  
I play for keeps  
'Cause I might not make it back”

It struck me how true those words rang in my mind. In this world, you did walk around with a gun, or a blade, or any kind of weapon. You play for keeps because what else was there? And we all knew that there was danger everywhere. You really might not make it back. We were wanted dead or alive. We were wanted by the undead. They’d take you dead or alive, they just wanted to eat. An endless hunger. Huh. Wanted dead or alive. 

 

\-----------------

 

Once the sun started peaking over the horizon, I was grateful. The animals started waking up and showing their little faces. I jumped off of the roof of the shed and landed in a roll, cradling my bow so I didn’t land on it or a fatal arrow. I glanced back, Sky was awake and peeked her head out of the door of the shed. 

“Hunting,” I told her. She nodded and then I silently crept into the forest. 

Small animals were scurrying about. No normal person would notice them, or if they did, they’d scare them off. I placed each foot carefully, wary of fallen leaves. My head was on a swivel, keeping lookout for prey and predator. I didn’t want to get in the zone and then be taken by surprise by a lurker. 

I spotted my quarry. A fat squirrel crawled out of a pocket in a tree. I inched my hand to my quiver, then in one fluid moment snatched an arrow out, knocked it and then pulled the string back, releasing the arrow. It buried itself in the squirrel, hitting it with such force that it pinned it to the tree. I climbed up the tree and took it down. I stuffed the dead squirrel in a separate bag and re-knocked the same arrow. 

I crept around the forest for a bit, one squirrel would hardly be enough. Not if I had the chance to get more. I climbed a tree to get a better look around. I crouched on a limb, hidden from view of the forest floor. I spotted a quail, waddling along on the ground. It appeared oblivious to everything around of it and, thankfully, me. I let the arrow fly and it hit the bird. Not even a second later another arrow, shorter than mine, hit the bird on the other side. I stayed frozen in the tree, watching as a man approached. He knelt beside the bird, examining the two arrows. 

“What the hell...?” he muttered. He stood and his eyes scanned the area. They paused where I was, but then he turned completely around in his search. I took this moment to leap down from the tree. It was a good distance and I had to squat as I landed to prevent injury. 

I drew another arrow and nocked it, drawing it back in the same motion. I slowly, quietly crept behind him, noticing the crossbow slung across his back. It was the man from the CDC. I stayed completely still and silent as he continued to look around. He finally turned around, jumping a little when he saw me and the arrow that was pointed at his chest. The corner of my mouth turned up and I held in a laugh at his sudden fright. 

He was a few inches taller than me, lean but with muscles that told me he was a hard worker. His hair was uneven and barely came down over his forehead. His eyes were a dark blue. Kind of like Alex’s and his but darker and mysterious. He was wearing a cut off shirt. He was covered in sweat and dirt but I doubted I looked any better. Maybe a little worse. He pulled his crossbow off of his back and aimed it at me.

“The hell are you?” he asked gruffly.

“None of your business,” I growled. 

We were caught in an epic stare down. I wasn’t backing down because I needed the food. He looked healthy enough that he could spare it. I’d hit it first anyways.

“Whatcha want then?” he said.

“My catch,” I answered, shrugging a shoulder to the dead quail. 

Realization dawned in his eyes. He cut his eyes to the bird and back. I saw in his mind, matching the arrow to mine. Then his eyes widened and narrowed.

“You..” he said, sounding a little surprised. 

“What about me?” I grunted. 

“Yer the one who killed those walkers back at the CDC.”

I considered denying it, but I thought of my son. This man could be a great ally.   
“What about it?” I asked.

“Why’d ya do it?” he asked. 

“Because....” I paused, thinking. Why did I do it? “It was the right thing to do, I   
guess. I don’t know.”

Just then the man I saw before in the sheriff’s outfit came running up, a young boy hot on his heels. He saw our raised weapons and pulled out a pistol as well, aiming it at me. I stayed completely still. The young boy eyed me curiously. 

The kid looked to be only about ten years old. “Who’s she, Daryl?” the boy asked.

“What’s going on?” demanded the man in the sheriff’s outfit. 

I kept my gaze steady on ‘Daryl’. He slowly, steadily lowered his crossbow. After a moment I lowered my bow and then the sheriff put away his gun. 

“She’s the one from the CDC. The one shooting walkers for us,” answered Daryl. 

The sheriff connected eyes with me and I finally broke eye contact with Daryl.   
“Really?” asked the sheriff. 

I nodded slowly, cautiously. Anything could happen. But the sheriff just grinned and started thanking me. Then the little kid came forward and asked, “Who are you?”

“My name? My name’s Harmony. Everyone calls me Harm,” I answered, a smile tugging my lips. This little kid was actually really cute. Not as cute as my Alex, but then again, my opinion was a bit biased. 

“My name’s Carl,” he said, sticking his hand out. I shook it, chuckling softly. 

“And I’m Rick. This here’s Daryl,” said the sheriff. Rick shook my hand, while Daryl stood still, glaring at me. 

“Well...this had been real nice and all. But I was hunting and I need to get back to my camp,” I said, inching toward my kill. 

I went to snatch it up but Daryl protested, “The hell do you think you’re doin?”

“I’m getting my catch,” I said gruffly.

“Like hell you are! I killed it!” he said.

“No. My arrow hit it first. Its mine,” I growled the last word. 

“Daryl, just let her have it. You can get another one,” said Rick.

I picked up the quail and pulled Daryl’s and my arrow out. I put my arrow back in my quiver and slowly walked over to Daryl and handed him his. He snatched it out of my hands. I picked up my quail and stuck it in the bag. I inclined my head to Rick, showing my thanks, and then turned, sprinting into the woods. I turned at the last second, letting off an arrow. It buried itself in a squirrel in a tree above the small group. The squirrel fell dead in front of Rick. I smirked and then ran further amongst the trees. 

Well, that was interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

I skinned the squirrel while Sky and Alex plucked the quail. Yes, my four year old son knows how to handle dead animals. He’d been hunting with me before. After I skinned the squirrel, burying it’s entrails, I made a small fire and roasted every good part of it. Even the brains, which despite popular belief, are actually quite nutritious and delicious. Then I went to work on the quail. It was fatter, so it would take longer to cook. I divvied up the squirrel between us, giving Alex and Sky the most. 

I made faces while eating the brains, growling like a zombie, playing on old society’s belief that zombies only ate brains. Which is nonsense of course. Funny nonsense. “BRAAIINSS!! Must have brains!” 

I put my arms out in front of me and grabbed Alex, tickling him. His laughter made this shitty world just a little brighter. Even Sky found it funny. Laughter is the best medicine sometimes. That was one belief that was not nonsense. 

A few more minutes and the quail was roasted and steaming. We ate it with our hands, after I thanked the Lord for it. It was so delicious and so much actually good food, I had to put most of it away so we didn’t make ourselves sick. We were on our way again by high noon. I heard running water, so I led my son and Sky in that direction. 

We were well fed and rested, so we went at a reasonable pace. We reached a small stream and what do we find? A flesh-eater, stuck in the mud. It was literally calf deep. I groaned aloud. Decomposing parts had gotten into the water. I had nothing to purify it, so it was pointless. I sliced its brain open with my machete. In anger, I kicked its corpse. 

“Piece of shit! Ugh!” I couldn’t stop the anger that flooded me. We were almost out of water. We find a source, only to have it contaminated. 

I turned to Alex and Sky. Alex walked forward and took my hand. “Where, Mama?”

I sighed. “I don’t know, sweetie. We’ll just keep going until we find somewhere else.”

And so we did. We walked. And walked. We walked until we heard a gunshot. I immediately pushed Sky and Alex to the ground, covering Alex with my body. I heard a man screaming. It didn’t sound too far off. I slowly rose to my feet, observing our surroundings. I held my hand flat out behind me, signaling that Alex and Sky stay down. I glanced back and Alex was staring at me with those wide blue eyes of his. I flashed a small smile to comfort him and then continued on, following the sound of loud, frantic voices. 

I started running toward what was probably danger. But if I got to it first, and took care of it, Alex would be spared having to face such danger. I was really thankful we’d picked up Sky. She could stay with him while I ran off to protect them both. 

I came to a small clearing. There was a large, overweight man holding a rifle, floundering about a bit. Rick was holding his son, Carl. A man with dark hair had a rifle raised at the man. Between them lay a dead deer. It didn’t take long for me to figure out what had happened. I rushed forward, military experience kicking in. 

They all looked shocked to see me. Except for Rick, he was too focused on his son. I knelt beside him, eternally grateful the military made me take those med classes. Carl was staring out, his eyes glazed over.

“He’s in shock. That’s a good thing, when he comes out of it, he’ll be in a world of pain. If he’s still alive,” I muttered to myself, but Rick heard me and choked out a sob. I’d rarely seen grown men cry and when I did, they were usually drunk and on the verge of passing out at the bar. 

“Can you help him?” Rick demanded, not taking his eyes off of me. 

I didn’t answer, putting my fingers to his throat. His pulse was weak. I leaned over and put my ear on his chest. He was wheezing, barely breathing. I sighed. It looked hopeless. My knowledge of medical expertise was limited, and I didn’t have anything on hand that could help. 

“I don’t know. He’s losing too much blood and barely breathing. The bullet might have punctured a lung. He’ll need surgery, most likely,” I said sadly.

The bald man took the moment to speak up. “Hershel can help him. He’s a doctor.”

The man with dark hair demanded angrily, “Where is this Hershel?”

The bald man floundered for a moment before answering, “Back at the farm. It’s just a ways back thataway.” He pointed behind him.

“How far?” asked Rick.

“Not far. You can make it before sunset,” answered the man. “Tell them Otis sent you. They’ll help.”

Rick rose, cradling his son in his arms and started sprinting in the direction Otis pointed out. I wiped the blood off of my hands on my pants. I was about to head back to Sky and Alex when the dark haired man said, “Where are you going? You have to go, too. They’ll need all the help they can get.”

I stared back at the man. He had a mixture of emotions on his face. Anger, sadness to name a few. “I don’t have to do anything.”

“Please. You obviously know something about doctorin’ stuff. They might need your help. I’m Shane, by the way.”

“Look, Shane. I’d love to help, but I have priorities of my own.” Shane had a certain gleam in his eye that told me not to trust him. Otis, however, looked scared and guilty. He looked like I trust him. The only one from their group I’d really trust would probably be Daryl. He was mean and rude, but something about him was...honorable. 

“I can look after your priorities if you just help save Carl. We can’t lose another kid,” Shane begged. “We’ll be right behind you.” Being a bartender for four years helped me learn to read people, and I had an ability to do it beforehand, but tending honed the skill. If nothing else, Shane did care about this child. I slowly nodded and whistled loudly. 

Sky and Alex came running through the brush, joining me at my side. I looked at Sky. I’d known her for such a short time, but already I trusted her with my life and even more importantly, the life of my son. Alex tugged on my jeans and said anxiously, “Mama?!”

I knelt and shushed him. He could already tell there was a lot of tension in the air. I stroked his hair and said, “I have to go help someone. I need you and Sky to go with this nice man, okay?”

He nodded, eyes wide. He could read me like a book, and I saw in his child eyes he didn’t trust this man either. I smiled. Good boy. I stood and placed Alex’s hand in Sky’s. “Take care of him.”

Then I turned and sprinted in the direction Rick had left. I hadn’t slept that day, but I had food and food was energy. I ran as fast as I could, bow and quiver strapped to my back. I soon caught up to Rick, who was running as fast as he could, but weighed down by his wounded son. I slowed my pace next to him, he merely glanced at me and kept going. He was tiring, I could tell, but somehow he kept going, not slowing once. Soon the trees cleared to fields and in the distance I could see a barn and a large, two, maybe three story house. 

Upon seeing it, Rick picked up speed and started yelling. People came out of the house and saw us. A fair looking woman with blonde hair put her hand to her throat. And older man, presumably Hershel, came out and scowled in confusion. I sprinted ahead of Rick, yelling, “Otis sent us!”

Rick looked up at the man on the porch expectantly. “Are you Hershel?” Realization dawned on Hershel’s face and he ushered us inside as soon as we came to the door. He lead Rick to a room, where he laid Carl on a bed. 

“What happened?” asked Hershel as he took the boy’s pulse.

“Your man Otis was hunting and accidentally shot him,” Rick said, panting. He looked terrified and hardly took his eyes off of his son. 

“For that I am terribly sorry,” Hershel said in a thick southern accent. He turned to me. “Are you the boy’s mother?”

I shook my head vehemently. “No, sir. I just came along to help. I have a little medical experience.”

“Where?” he asked. 

“Military. I am very familiar with bullet wounds.”

“Well, I’ll take all the help I can get. Patricia!” he called the blonde woman entered the room. “Get my kit.”

“What can I do?” asked Rick frantically. 

Hershel looked at him sternly. “You can wait outside.”

“But my son -”

Hershel cut him off. “If you stay in here, you’ll just get in my way. It’s best if you   
wait outside.”

In the next moment, Otis and Shane, followed by Sky and Alex came in the house. I felt immediate relief. I grabbed Shane’s arm.

“Get your man Rick out of here. He’s getting in the way.”

Shane nodded and pulled a distraught Rick out of the room. I turned to Hershel. 

“What can I do?”

 

\--------------------

 

The kid was losing blood, and fast. He’d already lost too much. Hershel dug inside of him, looking, trying to determine what happened. I was unfazed by the brutality of it all. My hands became covered in blood and my eyes grew weary. But I kept helping Hershel to save this child’s life. I kept imagining it as my Alex laying on that bed, losing blood. I had to call Rick back in. 

“What type of blood does your son have?” asked Hershel.

"A-positive. Same as mine." 

But Hershel looked no less relieved when he replied, "That's fortunate. Don't wander far. I'm gonna need you."

Hershel determined that the bullet broke into pieces in his abdomen and he would likely need to operate.The dire reality of the situation caused Rick to come out of his trance and remember his wife, and he sobbed into Shane's shoulder because she didn't even know her son's been shot. I was acting as nurse, Patricia tried to help, but she was too busy comforting Otis to do much. Rick had to come back in and give blood. Just as I stuck a needle in his arm, Carl started screaming in agony. Rick yelled, “You’re killing him!”

Shane held down Carl as Hershel pulled a bullet fragment out. Hershel removed one of the bullet fragments but the other five were buried too deep for him to operate without putting Carl under. If Carl moved and screamed like he did the first time when he went deeper, Hershel explains, he'd sever an artery. 

“I don’t have any aesthetic,” he explained. 

Rick stayed as calm as he could, and tried to stay out of the way. “Lori has to know. She doesn’t even know.”

“You can’t go after her, Rick. Not now. Your son needs you. You need to have Lori’s strength. The way she didn’t leave you when you got shot. You need to be like that. Carl will get better. Just like you did,” Shane assured him. 

Hershel turned to Rick. “He’s gonna need major surgery. But we aren’t equipped for anything like that here.”

“What do you need?” asked Rick.

“A respirator, among other things. But we don’t have anything like that,” said Hershel. He and Otis exchanged a look. 

“There’s a FEMA camp down by the high school. They could have what we need,” said Otis. “It was overrun the last time I saw it. Maybe it’s better now.”

“I’ll go,” Shane volunteered. 

“I have to come with you.” Shane and Patricia both started to protest but Otis cut them off. “I have to right my mistake. It’s my fault this boy’s hurt. Besides I know what we need. You don’t.”

A young woman with short brown hair spoke up. “I’ll go get the boy’s mother. she needs to know what’s happening.”

So Otis and Shane left for the FEMA camp and the girl called Maggie left on a horse, riding into the forest. Hershel said there was nothing we could do but wait and watch. Try to keep him alive until they come back. So I washed my hands and went to find my son and our companion. 

Sky and Alex were sitting on a sofa in the living. I sat down wearily beside them. Alex crawled in my lap. “Missed you.”

I chuckled softly. “I missed you more.” I kissed his forehead and he laid his head on my chest. I softly started singing to him and in moments his breathing evened out and I knew he was asleep. 

“You have a beautiful family,” said Rick. 

I looked down at my son, sleeping peacefully and then Sky, who looked tired enough to pass out as well. In such a short time, she had become family as well. It was strange how quickly you could bond with someone after the apocalypse. 

“Thank you. By the way, this little one asleep is my son, Alex. And thats Sky.”

Rick reached a hand forward. Sky shook it, smiling. “Nice to meet you, I’m Rick.”

I sighed, carefully laying Alex down on the sofa. “I’m really sorry about your son, Rick.”

“Me too.”

 

>


	4. Chapter 4

Sky, Alex and I all slept in an exhausted pile on the sofa. Hershel and his family didn’t seem to mind. Alex was the first of us to wake up. 

“Mama,” his quiet voice woke me immediately. Luckily, with motherhood comes light sleeping, which was an advantage in the zombie apocalypse. 

I sat up slowly, my back popping as I stretched. I tapped Sky on the shoulder and she bolted upright, a little confused. She glanced around and saw Alex and I and her eyes filled with realization. 

“You okay?” I asked slowly. 

She sighed. “I had a dream I was with Katie, my best friend I was telling you about. We were just hanging out, like old times. I miss that more than anything.”

I rubbed her back, trying to sooth her. “I know, darlin’. We all miss it. But we’re safe at least, and that’s what’s important.”

Alex’s little hand tapped my arm. I looked at him and he grinned sheepishly at me, pointing to his little tummy. I laughed and ruffled his hair. “I know. First let’s check on the other people, okay?” 

He nodded and we all made our way down the hallway. I peeked my head in the room to see Carl’s mother sitting by his side. Rick was on the other side, passed out. I tiptoed slowly in the room. She looked up and smiled. Sort of. 

“I hear you were one of the people who helped save my little boy’s life.”

I shrugged. “I did what any mother would do.”

She raised her eyebrow. I went further in the room, followed by Alex. Sky just leaned against the door frame and looked on. “This is my son, Alex.”

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “You look awful young to be a mother. How old were you?”

I shrugged, holding Alex close to my side. He hid his face against my hip. “I think I was about 23 years old. Somewhere around there.”

“You think?” she questioned, getting up and walking over to me. 

“Yeah. I’m not really sure how old I actually am. I was abandoned and put into the foster care system.”

“They had no record of your being born at all? No birth certificate, nothing?” she asked. 

I sighed. “Yeah. I was abandoned on the side of a street and they put up missing child posters and all that but no one claimed me. So the government legalized all the documents and I was put into the foster care system.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, putting one hand on her heart. 

I shrugged. “I’m pretty much over it. I’m Harmony, by the way. But everyone calls me Harm.”

“I don’t,” Alex chimed quietly. 

“No, you don’t,” I said laughing. 

“Well, I’m Lori, Carl’s mother.” she said, holding a hand out to me. I shook it. 

“Nice to meet you,” I said. “This is Sky.”

Sky stepped forward and smiled a small smile, shaking Lori’s hand lightly. I   
noticed she was shying away. She blushed, and tried to hide behind her hair. Guess that was something new. She was shy. She quickly limped back to the door. Oh yeah. I nodded Lori farewell and went to find Hershel, Alex tagging along. 

I found him in the kitchen, head bent over his bible. For a moment he looked like he was praying, so we stood still at the edge of the room. After a moment he straightened up and flipped through the pages. I stepped forward and smiled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a bible.”

He looked up at me and smiled kindly. “Well, I have plenty of them.”

Sky limped forward and stood next to me. Hershel’s eyes darted down to her leg, which was still bandaged and bloody. “Can you look at her wound?”

“Alright,” he said in a gravelly voice. “Sit down, young lady.”

Sky sat down at a chair at the table, angled toward Hershel. He carefully removed the bandage. The blood was dried and it peeled off painfully. I saw Sky grimace and flinch, squeezing her eyes shut. It needed cleaning and another bandage. But no sign of infection, from what I could tell. It looked like it was healing up nicely. 

“Yeah. Through and through. Lucky it didn’t hit an artery. But it looks like it’s doing good,” he said. He turned to me. “Can you go get some warm water? And then get my medical bag.”

I nodded and went to perform these simple tasks. Then Alex and I stood back, watching as Hershel cleaned and bandaged the wound. Sky’s hand shot out and took mine, squeezing it tightly and Hershel poured alcohol over it. After a few moments, just when I thought my hand would fall off, he was done and she released her iron grip on my hand. 

I laughed airily, shaking my hand out. “Ow.”

She grinned sheepishly at me. “Sorry.”

I shook my head, smiling. “Nah, it’s fine.” 

At that moment there was the sound of vehicles pulling in the the driveway. Instinct kicked in and pulled a knife from my belt, gently pushing Alex behind me, creeping to the door. I leaned against the wall beside the door, hidden, but in a crouched position, ready to attack if necessary. 

Hershel calmly peeked out the window and opened the door. I glanced out the door, beside him. An RV had pulled into the yard, as well as other vehicles I recognized from Rick’s group by the highway. I straightened, but kept my knife in my hand. You never know. 

He grunted. “More people. More wounds, probably.” He glanced at me. “No offense.”

I chuckled. “None taken. This is probably a lot for you. Taking in people you don’t know. Using your precious resources to help strangers. Losing one of your men.”

He looked somber. “Yes. It is a lot. But it is what God is telling me to do. This won’t last long. This whole thing. The virus. Its just like any other plague. They’ll find a cure for it. Things will go back to normal.”

I raised my eyebrows. “How do you know?”

“Plagues have happened plenty of times in our past. People die, hope looks gone, but then they find a cure. They have before and they will again.”

I nodded, pretending to agree with him. I was pretty sure anyone who would have been looking for a cure in the old world, was long gone. Especially since I saw the CDC blow up. But I’m not telling him that. I didn’t need any more enemies than I already had. 

I walked out onto the porch, Alex and Sky trailing behind me. I tucked the knife into the sheath at my belt. Time to inspect these new people. I already deemed Hershel and his family okay. Even if he was an idiot for thinking the way he did, it was better to befriend him so we’d stay safe. 

I leaned against a post, observing the people in the yard. There was an old man with an odd hat and a rifle slung over one shoulder. He had wide eyes and a grey beard. There was a blonde woman arguing with him. She looked about my age. I remembered an asian guy and a black guy showed up in the night. The black guy had ripped his arm open. It looked pretty bad, but Hershel sewed him up. He was good, even if he was just a veterinarian. There was woman with worn features and short grey hair. She had tears in her eyes and immediately went back into the RV. 

And then there was the guy I saw in the woods. He pulled up on the motorcycle I saw him on by the highway. Loud thing, that. His eyes were narrowed, like the sun was always in his eyes, except he parked underneath the shade of a tree. He looked about the same since I saw him last. He was observing his surrounding, much like I was observing them. His eyes suddenly cut up to mine. I stiffened for a moment at his piercing glare. I saw his eyes dart down to Alex, who stood at my side. Alex stared curiously at him. 

After a moment his gaze met mine again. I held it without flinching. He was the first to look away. He climbed off of his bike and then stalked in the house, brushing past me. I stayed where I was but heard Rick’s muted voice speaking to him and Hershel. 

Hershel walked out of the house, looking unhappy. “They can stay, Rick. For now.” He looked at me, I cocked my eyebrow, holding my son close to me. He sighed and nodded. “You can stay, too. Y’all can set up in the yard.” Then he walked off to the barn. 

Sky looked at me and grinned. the corner of my mouth went up in a small smile. Safety. For now. That seemed to be our motto. For now. 

Sky retrieved our bags from the living room. She followed me to the yard, where Rick’s group was setting their tents up and the RV was parked. I nodded to Shane as I passed by. I couldn’t set up camp too close. Close enough for safety in numbers, far enough away for privacy and relative comfort. 

The man, Daryl, with the crossbow was already setting up camp a few feet away from the others. He had a grimace on his face as he set his small tent up. He was part of their group wasn’t he?

I decided to set up our tent parallel to his, not too close tho, our tent was closer to the house. Alex stood behind me as Sky helped me to set up our tent. I put a sleeping bag in there. We only had one. But it would have to do, for now. It wouldn’t be good enough for long, though. Not with winter coming. 

“We’ll need another bedroll soon,” I told Sky. “We can make do for now, while it’s still hot, but winter’s gonna be a bitch.”

“Yeah, I hear that. But I was born further north, so I’m used to harder cold. Not this heat, though. It’s killing me,” she said. 

I grunted in response and sat on the ground in front of the tent. I pulled out the knapsack that held food. We had a small fire going, only glowing embers. We didn’t need it for warmth, only to heat our food. We couldn’t have anyone getting sick from food poisoning, could we?

I saw Daryl eyeing the quail as I turned the remains of it over the fire. I smirked and called out, “You want some?”

He grunted and stalked past us, towards the house. “Don’t wan’ nothin’.”

I shrugged and called out, “Your loss. I hope that squirrel was good enough.”

His back stiffened but he kept walking. Geez. All that guy is is stiff. 

I prayed quickly over the meal, joining hands with Sky and Alex. “Heavenly Father, we thank you for our daily bread. May this food nourish our bodies, minds, and spirits. In nominee patris, et fili, et spirtus sanctus. Amen.”

“Amen,” said Alex’s small voice. 

Sky looked at me curiously. “What’s that mean?” 

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” answered a voice behind me. I turned to see Hershel standing there, smiling a bit. “Been a long time since I heard that one.”

I smiled back. “I always thank the Lord before our meals. Latin just happens to be one of my specialties.”

“Where’d you learn it?” he asked. 

“Someone taught me when I was in the military,” I answered, memories flooding my mind. He had taught me. The same person who...

“Well, I guess that makes you a smart young lady, then,” he said. “Ever go to college?”

I shook my head. “Barely graduated high school. They said I had ADHD or   
something.” 

“Oh. That’s too bad. My daughter Maggie went to college before the virus hit. When did you join the military?”

“Right after high school.”

“Why?” he asked.

“I guess you could say I was running.”

“From what?” asked the sad looking woman with short grey hair, overhearing our conversation and walking over. 

I chuckled, but there was no humor. “Life.”


End file.
